The Economic Development & Planning Department serves as the Town’s primary contact for economic development activities. The Town pursues and manages a variety of grants, a number of which are economic development-based.

Unlike industrial development agencies, state agencies dedicated to the promotion of economic development and cities with entitlement funding for economic development, suburban towns typically do not have access to funding streams or resources for economic development. Promotion of economic development tends to be indirect in towns such as Glenville as opposed to direct (i.e. the offering of low interest loans and/or grants), as is the case in most cities and counties.

Glenville has taken a number of steps in recent years to encourage commercial and industrial development and thus boost the town’s tax base. Examples of town efforts include the following:

· Successful application for and designation of Glenville as a joint Empire Zone with the City of Schenectady. The Town’s portion of the Zone is primarily located within the Scotia-Glenville Industrial Park and Corporations Park.

· Expansion of the Metroplex service boundaries to include all properties within the town.

· Adoption of zoning that is relatively permissive towards commercial development in areas where infrastructure can support such development.

· Significant expansion of public sewer in eastern Glenville.

· Development and distribution of vacant buildings and property inventories to alert would-be commercial/industrial development interests of opportunities in Glenville.

· Pursuit of grants to assist existing businesses with expansion and to help secure funding for business start-ups.

· Support of brownfield redevelopment efforts on the part of the county and state.

· Continued expansion of the Town’s water system with abundant capacity available within our commercial corridors.

In addition to the positive efforts noted above, Glenville is currently experiencing robust growth within the residential building sector, with a pace not likely seen since the 1960s. Early indications are that the 2010 U.S. Census will, for the first time since 1970, reflect a notable increase in the Town’s population, as a direct result of the residential building boom that we have been experiencing over the past 6 or 7 years.

At this website you will find a link to the Town-produced Vacant Commercial Buildings Inventory. Links are also provided below to websites of various county, regional and state agencies who are engaged in economic development. For example, The Chamber of Schenectady County meets monthly with a Business Advisor for the Small Business Development Center who provides complimentary assistance with a business plan, cash flow projections, or just general start-up information.

Should you have any questions about who to contact at any of these agencies, or if you have any questions about economic development in the Town of Glenville, please contact the Town’s Planning Department at (518) 688-1200, ext. 407. You can also direct questions and comments to the Town’s Economic Development & Planning Department at kcorcoran@townofglenville.org.